Salmon Cakes

Okay so I made the Salmon Cakes listed on this blog:

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/recipe-for-asian-flavored-wild-salmon.html#more 

for dinner tonight and they were SUPER yummy!  Morgan even ate them...Tommy not so much, but eventually he will get there :)

I put them on Portland's French Bakery's Pub Buns and then we had brown rice and asparagus.  All-in-all a good meal.

Also I wanted everyone to know I am SUPER thankful that Mike is staying home Wed-Friday instead of traveling down to California!  YAY Mikey!  :)

Introduction to Grilling Class

Mike loves to grill, BBQ and smoke pretty much any meal that we have.  Of course he also likes to cook in the kitchen, but since we have 6 grilling/smoking apparatuses, he likes to put all of those to use.  I also like to grill - I am not that fancy, but I can grill a mean chicken breast, flank steak or hamburger patty on the gas grill.  We grill year round...we are not just summer grilling people, we grill in the rain and cold temperatures - mainly because it is one of the easiest and cleanest ways to cook! 

So last summer Mike and I were talking and thought it might be a fun idea to offer a "Introduction to Grilling Class" because so many people call Mike asking questions throughout the summer.  Plus I think it would be a great class for many of my mom friends because it is such an easy and clean way to cook.  Yesterday I started thinking and revisiting this idea because I grilled some chicken breasts to put in the Sour Cream Enchiladas I posted about yesterday.  It was so easy and I was thankful I knew how to grill the chicken. 

Yesterday, I started with an outline for the class and book that would accompany the class.  I do need to do my research on what permits we would need to actually host this type of class and we will need to do some sort of test class for some of our friends and family to see if it actually would work.  So the following are items I need to work on and I will keep you updated as to the progress:

• keep working and revising the Grilling Class Outline and Book
• figure out permits, insurance and other legal items that we might need to host these classes at our house
• put together a "sample" class or two and obtain feedback on how the class is structured and if it is helpful or not
• figure out what it costs us to hold the class and what we should charge for a class like this

Please let me/us know if you like this idea...what you would like to learn, etc.

I am also excited for the other classes that we could develop in a Grilling/BBQ series...Tragger Smoking Class, Grilling Pizzas Class, Summer BBQ Party Class...really the possibilities are endless! 

Cheers to a new fun project! 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

These were a standard in my house growing up.  They are outstanding and you can make double the recipe and freeze one for later.  SUPER Yummy!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 5-6 (but can be easily doubled)

This recipe is a great one from my Mom.  I think it might have originated with Marilyn Herb, but I give my Mom credit for giving it to me.

Sauce (Mix together):

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

½ pint of sour cream

1 sm. can chopped green chilies

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 can sliced black olives, drained

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves(cooked – I usually grill the chicken) and chopped up into bite size pieces)

12- corn tortillas (softened in oil – I use a skillet and pour a few Tbsp of veg. oil heat until when you put in the tortilla in it bubbles – then put tortilla in the oil, flip and place on a plate with papertowel, then repeat – so use a papertowel in between each tortilla to soak up the extra oil)

¾ lb. cheddar cheese

¾ lb. mozzarella cheese

Fill each tortilla with 1 Tbsp. sauce and 1. Tbsp cheese and chicken chunks on top.  Roll and place seem down in casserole dish.  Cover with remaining sauce and cheese on top.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Freezes well, but thaw before baking.

Kauai

A lot of people ask me about trips to Hawaii and I previously posted about our trip to the Big Island (Hawaii), but one of my favorite other spots is Kauai.  I typed up an email to a friend who was considering Kauai, so I thought I would share that too:

Here are my thoughts on Kauai:

A great general Poipu site is: http://www.poipubeach.org/

When we were growing up, we would always stay in Poipu which is down on the southern coast of the island.  I always wanted to stay at the Kiahuna Plantation condos: http://www.kiahuna-vacation.com/ They are beautiful and a shorter walk to the beach than the place we used to stay, listed below.

We stayed at the Poipu Kapili (pre 1991 Hurricane), but we loved it!  It was a nice pool and a fine walk to the beach.  http://www.poipukapili.com/  We used to stay there as a family when I was growing up.  It was a great property and I really have great memories of it.

About 4 ½ years ago – just pre-Tommy we stayed with a group of friends in a condo complex called the Poipu Kai.  I would probably not recommend it…it was really far from the beach and nothing special.  The condo was nice, but I think you could get closer to the beach.

Also a great hotel that is right on the beach in Poipu is the Sheraton: http://www.sheraton-kauai.com/ And if you are single and want to be pampered – it might be nice to do the hotel thing (depending on your budget). 

I have also heard great things about things North of Lihue (the airport), but I have never stayed up there.

Cheers to people going on vacation...and my recommendation if you go with kids, take a nanny, family member or babysitter...it helps tremendously with the "vacation" aspect of it all!

Playroom vs. Family Room

The playroom has been started and mostly finished!  We sold the dining room table last weekend and then headed to Ikea this weekend to buy the furniture/baskets.  Here is what the dining room used to look like:

So pretty basic dining room.  I was never a big fan of this dining room set, so I must say I was VERY happy to see it go.  So when I was thinking of what I wanted to do with my "playroom", I decided I needed to get shelving and some sort of storage. 

I turned to my friends - first I asked my dear friend Beth Kershner where they got the black cubed storage shelving that they have in their playroom.  She let me know they bought it at Ikea.  Then I read my lovely friend Stephany Taddeo's blog (which if you are interested in an awesome blog, you should subscribe) and while being an amazing mom and person also happens to be an interior designer - she described her living room that she turned into a playroom/guestroom.  So I completely copied her design, except for the guestroom part.  So Steph, sorry that I copied your design, but it looked so perfect for our needs, I had to - copying is the best form of flattery right?  :)  And let me tell you if we ever remodel/redesign our house, I am going to Steph first because she has amazing ideas!!!

So here is part of the transformation:

Things I still need to do:

• have Mike secure the bookcases to the wall
• get the chalkboard labels from Pottery Barn Kids for the baskets to keep organized
• get two large baskets from Pottery Barn Kids for stuffed animals and over sized toys
• unload the large wicker basket that we used to use as our toy storage
• figure out what lighting I want because we currently have a brass chandelier and that does not necessarily go in a playroom
• find new artwork for the room
• put up the video monitor so I can be in the kitchen/family room and still see what the kiddos are doing

The nice thing about this transformation is we get our family room back...it is no longer just a pile of toys here and there...the giant black coffee table has been moved back to it's original location pre-kiddos.

I am also excited because I feel like I can now have play dates and there is a place for the kids to play and the adults to sit.

So cheers to keeping my resolution of getting more organized!


Sidenote:
I am a huge fan of holding dinner parties and the way we have the new "play room" set-up, I can move furniture around and still have dinner in this room.